Debt
by JaggedHands
Summary: Two shot fic. Amanda is in trouble. Can Olivia help her?
1. Chapter 1

Debt

Part 1 of 2

 **Picks up after the episode Home Invasions where Amanda gets into trouble with Murphy for not paying the money she owes him. Reviews appreciated: )**

Amanda doubled over in pain. The blow came fast and unexpected, even though she was a cop and trained for situations like these, there was no way of knowing or even a hint of a suspected oncoming blow. She crumbled and fell to the cold, hard and wet ground, the two men standing tall hovering above her like dark shadows in the night.

"I want my money, bitch. You owe me ten grand." one of the men grunted as he kicked her once more in the stomach. "You better have it before the weekend or next time you won't see me coming." he slapped hard in the face and she could almost instantly feel her eye swell up and her head pound from it's force.

"I... I'll get you... your money." she gasped between breaths, spitting blood as she spoke, her lower lip stinging and burning from being split by a deep cut from an earlier blow.

"You better, you fucking cunt." he kicked her again and again, hearing her own ribs crack before everything started to slowly fade around her. The sounds, her vision and even the pain began to subside as she lay there, on the ground by the gas station, soaking wet from the rain and even the taste of her own blood was ebbing away.

"Come on, Murphy, let's get out of here before someone sees us." the other man said nervously as he studied their surroundings, relieved to see that there was nobody else around. With one more kick to her lower stomach, they quickly scurried off and disappeared before Amanda could make out which way they went, then everything turned black and silent.

"Lieutenant, sorry for calling you so late." the nurse approached the tall brunette as soon as she spotted her coming through the door.

"It's my job, Amy." she smiled gently. "What are we looking at? Did she say who raped her?"

"She wasn't raped, Lieutenant."

Olivia frowned in confusion. "Okay, then why am I here?"

Amy sighed sadly and placed her hands in the big pockets of her uniform, gounding herself. "She was unconscious when she was brought in, I recognized her and called you. She got one hell of a beating but she's gonna be okay, already asking when she can go home."

"Where is she?" Olivia had a gnawing feeling in her stomach and her heart picked up speed as the nurse escorted her to a private room at the back and pulled the curtain to the side, revealing the identity of who was behind it.

"Amanda?!" she gasped as she saw the small blonde, who looked even smaller in the big bed, bruised with minor cuts and a split lip decorated her face. She looked pale and sickly, weak and fragile as she laid there, on eye bare able to open due to the swelling and she was awkwardly clutching at her lower belly.

"What happened?" the nurse had already left and Olivia quickly made her way over to where her young detective was positioned, pulled a chair up next to the bed and with a concerned look she caught Amanda's eyes. "What happened, honey? Who did this to you?"

The blonde tried to sit up better but the pain made it impossible to move and Liv softly placed a hand on her arm, telling her to stay still and not move too much. "I... I didn't tell the nurse to call you. What... what are you doing here?" the pain was evident in her voice as her teeth clenched, jaw flexing and breathing heavy. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Amanda," Liv stated, "and the nurse called me because she recognized you from a couple of earlier cases we've worked together." she gently reassured, rubbing her hand up and down Amanda's lower arm, feeling her skin cold to the touch, calming her down slightly before continuing. "How badly are you hurt?" she demanded to know.

"It... it's not that bad, really." Amanda tried to brush it off, not wanting her boss to see her like this, all weak and vulnerable, like she couldn't take care of herself. The look on Olivia's face told her that she wasn't convinced and that she had no other choice but to tell her the extent of her injuries. "Two cracked ribs, split lip, black eye and abdominal bruising. Nothing that won't heal on it's own."

"Did they give you anything for the pain?" Liv wondered, since the younger woman seemed to be in agony by the way she had her arms wrapped around her middle and her eyes were glazed over with a foggy sheen that Olivia had seen many times before in victims.

"I don't need any. I'm okay." came the short reply. "Can I go home now?" she began to sit up again but stiffled a scream as the searing pain burnt all over her upper body and she collapsed right back onto the cushions.

"Easy, sweetheart." Olivia had never called her that before but this time it just slipped out from between her lips, followed by a sushing noise. "I'm gonna get the nurse and I don't want any arguments. There's no need for you to be in pain, Amanda. Wait here."

"It's not like I can go anywhere." she muttered as Olivia exited the room and came back with the same nurse that efficiently administered a moderate doze of morphine into her drip then left the room.

The pain began to subside almost immediately, which made breathing and moving around way more easily and she tried once again to get up. "Whoa, Amanda! You have to lay down, honey. You're in no condition to walk anywhere, you're staying right where you are."

Defeatedly, the blonde slumped back against the pillows, the morphine making her quite sluggish already and too tired to argue. "Great." she mumbled, feeling her arms, legs and head getting heavy and relaxed, making her feel out of control and uncomfortable.

"What happened, honey? Who did this to you?" Liv gently queried as her eyes wandered over Amanda's slack body, wondering how many bruises were hiding underneath the over sized hospital gown.

"I've got it under control, Liv. I can deal with him myself." she insisted, rolling her eyes and wished that Olivia would just leave it alone but she knew that that was never going to happen. The brunette was way too stubborn for that.

"Under control? Amanda, you're in the hospital with two broken ribs, a split lip, beaten black and blue and, god knows, what else." she was getting frustrated and slightly angry that Amanda didn't seem bothered by what had happened and that she was very reluctant to tell her what had actually taken place. All she wanted to do was to help.

"There's nothing else. That's it, I promise." Amanda argued, feeling how her strength left her body due to the pain relief she had just been given.

"That's it!" Liv stated. "That's it?" she repeated in a heated tone, letting the blonde know that she was not gonna be taken for a fool and just take Amanda's word for it when it was obviously not true. Not in the slightest. "Amanda, you could've been killed, honey."

 _Honey._ Liv had never called her honey or sweetheart before. Was this Olivia's victim voice? Was this the way all those victims felt like when they poured their hearts out to Olivia, telling her their story about abuse and heartache, desperate for closure? Amanda wasn't a victim, she refused to see herself, and for others, to think of her as one but Olivia's gentle and calming voice made her feel like one.

"I wasn't killed, I wasn't raped and I wasn't sexually assaulted. There's no need for you to... to be here, Lieutenant. I'm... I'm okay." her head was now feeling like a huge cotton ball that was floating around in the sky, bouncing from cloud to cloud, drifting slowly through the air as the wind took a hold of it. The morphine was definitely starting to take affect.

Olivia didn't know whether to laugh or cry for her colleague and friend and, knowing how stubborn Amanda could be, it would be a struggle to make her cooperate and make her tell her boss what had happened earlier on. "Amanda, if you think I'm here simply because I'm doing my job then you're so wrong. I'm here as a friend, because I care about you and I want to help you. I'm honestly really worried about your safety here, honey."

The pang in Amanda's chest became almost unbearable as she noticed brown eyes fill up with tears but managed to stay at bay and not to spill over and travel down olive skin cheeks, creating jagged pale lines along the sides of her face. For some reason, seeing her boss getting all emotional and that she was the reason for it, her attitude changed and so did her voice. Gone was the firm, convincing and professional tone and, due to her medical induced state of mind, a voice full of regret, sorrow and apology had instead taken residency in her mind.

"I... I'm sorry." she whispered, feeling her own eyes burn from so many emotions that threatened to expose themselves at any second but she wasn't going to do that. She wasn't gonna give in to it, to break down and cry like a defenseless little kid or turn into one of the most fragile of victims that they interviewed on a daily basis at the precinct. No, she wasn't going to. Absolutely not. Never. Not a chance.

Yet, she did.

"Tell me, Amanda! Tell me so I can help you." Liv pleaded and pushed the chair closer to the bed so that her knees were now touching the cold and hard metal frame.

"I can't." she sobbed, winching at the pain in her ribs as she cried, the morphine clearly not efficient or strong enough for such strenuous efforts, making the whole experience a lot more painful and awful than what it already was.

"Easy." Liv, without thinking anything of it, placed a warm hand on Amanda's stomach, intending to sooth and calm her agony, and was surprised when the blonde let out a low and deep roaring sound and flinched at the touch. Olivia immediately pulled her hand away, letting it hover in the air, shocked and afraid that she had hurt her further. "What's wrong, honey? Did I hurt you?"

The worry etched on her face caused a feeling of guilt to settle inside Amanda's chest, now experiencing a sense of sympathy and regret for her friend, feeling bad that she made her boss believe that she had actually hurt her even though her touch had been very gentle and soft. "No, you... you didn't hurt me. I... it's just... a bruise." she hissed between clenched teeth, eyes shut tightly and beads of sweat bloomed on her now flushed forehead.

Amanda had pulled her knees up to her chest in a desperate attempt to ease the searing pain but she couldn't seem to escape from it. The more she moved and the harder she cried, it only became worse and the pain intensified. That's when Olivia heard the sounded of, what could almost be identified as, a plastic bag every time the blonde shifted between the sheets and she realized that Amanda was hiding something, or trying to.

Gently, Olivia untangled the blonde's arms, that was wrapped around her middle in a fierce grip, carefully pushed her curled up legs down, slowly lowered the covers and, ever so gently, lifted Amanda's gown to see what was hiding underneath. Just as she expected, an ice pack.

As she went to pull it away, Amanda flinched at her touch and let out an involuntary whimper. "No, please!"

"Shhh," Liv carefully soothed and brushed a lock of blonde hair away from her face. "I just want to look, honey. I'm not going to hurt you but I need to see. I need to know how much damage he caused you, sweetheart. I'll be gentle, I promise. I'm just gonna look."

Slowly, with a tremendous care, she removed the ice pack from Amanda's firm hold and gasped in horror as she took in the sight before her. Her whole stomach was like a big giant bruise with darker shades down towards her lower belly and sides, blue, green, yellow, purple and almost black covered her abdominal region and the skin had even broken in some places from the brutal beating. "Oh, sweetie!" she let her fingers ghost the abused area, barely touching the extremely tender bruises. "You're black and blue, honey. It must be so painful. What did he use on you?"

Amanda shivered as she felt Olivia's long and elegant fingers graze over her battered skin, her heart skipping a beat as the warmth from her hand caused a stark contrast against the ice cold surface on her stomach. "He... he didn't use anything. Just his fists and... and a kick or two." she grumbled, feeling embarrassed, small and exposed.

"A kick or two?" Liv repeated, her voice rising to a higher pitch as she studied the assaulted abdomen of the younger woman, feeling sick and diagusted by what some ass hole had put her through. "It looks like somebody used you as a soccer ball. Who did it, Amanda? Do you know his name?"

Olivia was not going to let this one slide. She tucked the gown back down, placed the ice pack back on the most painful part of her stomach and took a deep breath before deciding to elaborate. "It's... this guy, Murphy. I know him from back home in Atlanta. He was my bookie and I owe him some money. I... I told him I was a bartender here in New York because I didn't want him to find out what I do or who I am." she then snorted in sarcasm. "That didn't seem to work out too well."

"How much?" Liv asked, her face completely calm and voice soft.

"Ten grand." the blonde muttered under her breath as her fingers began to play with the crisp white sheets of the bed, feeling extremely embarrassed for having to tell her boss about her debt and that her problems seemed to have followed her here. "I have until the weekend to get it or else I... or I... I..."

"Or what?" the bed dipped slightly as the older woman sat down on the edge, looking intently at Amanda's face, trying to read her thoughts and feelings the best she could. "Or what, Amanda?"

Sighing, she finished the sentence. "Or I won't see him coming next time."

"Oh honey, why didn't you tell someone? Me, Fin or anyone in the squad? We would've helped you. I know about your gamblin issues that you had in the past but I didn't know that you were in debt or that there were people after you. You need to report this, sweetie." she gently ran a hand down along Amanda's arm and grasped her hand as she reached it.

"I can't report it. It will go into my file and the IAB will have a field day with it. I... I can't let that happen. I won't." she got agitated, scared and distraught. She couldn't risk all that for ten grand. Her file and record would be forever tarnished and, working within the law enforcement, it was something that she couldn't have, period. Money or no money, she simply had to pay. There were no other options.

"Honey, what he did was wrong. He assaulted you and you're just gonna let him get away with it?" Olivia tried to reason, fearing for Amanda's safety and well-being.

"If I don't pay I'm dead. It doesn't matter if he's locked up or not. He has friends that would do anything for him so finding me would be the first thing on his agenda. Paying my debt is the only choice I have. That or die, take your pick, Lieutenant." once again, she pushed herself up, wanting nothing more but to leave the awful hospital room she was in before she would turn completely nuts. Despite the intense burning pain all over her upper body she managed to sit up, face flushed from exertion, jaw clenched tightly together due to the pain and sweat was beginning to appear in small droplets on her forehead. "I need to go. I won't stay here."

"Whoa, Amanda, please slow down." the older woman laid a hand on the blonde's tense shoulder, stopping her from swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Judging by the terrified look on Amanda's face it was evident that there was nohing that Olivia could do or say to make her change her mind or think differently. By making Amanda stay right where she was would probably cause her more harm than good right now and Olivia made a rash decision. "Wait here and I'll get your doctor so you can sign your discharge papers."

There was a look of relief splayed across Amanda's face as she signed the papers and got her clothes back on. She was somewhat surprised that Olivia had actually given in so easily and had even helped her to get dressed and into her car. She had expected a struggle, an uphill battle to try and convince Olivia to let her leave. Instead, it had gone very smoothly and surprisingly fast and no real objections from her doctor had been made so she was slightly stunned and maybe even confused as to why things had gone so well.

"I made a deal with the doctor when I asked him to sign you out." she glanced over at Amanda, sitting in the passanger seat, looking very suspicious but curious at the same time, obviously wondering what kind of deal she was talking about. "You're staying at my place for a few days until the pain elevates and you can move around more easily and I don't want any arguments, Amanda. It's either my place or I'm taking you back to the hospital, this is not up for discussion."

Amanda was fuming, boiling with anger that threatened to blow the lid off the pot at any second if the temperature wasn't turned down. She was shaking with tension and anger, her knuckles turning white, as she clutched her fists so tightly, cutting off the blood circulation and she could no longer hold it in. "How dare you make such a promise? I'm not your property and you can't make me do anything I don't want to do. I want you to drop me off at my place, now... please."

"Not a chance." Liv answered softly as she took a right turn, relieved that it was really late, or probably early in the morning, and the traffic was light.

The calmness in her voice pissed Amanda off even more and she turned in her seat, winshing at the pain but did everything in her power to ignore it. "Let me out now, Lieutenant." she hissed, her voice full of venom, her eyes burning with mixed emotions and her heart hammered profusely in her chest, thumping against her ribcage creating the sound of a drum. When Olivia didn't listen and instead just continued to drive, Amanda shifted in her seat, grabbed the hande of the door and pulled it, causing the cold night air to swirl around in the car, toussling the women's hair.

"AMANDA!" Liv screamed and slammed on the brakes, hearing the tyres shriek against the tarmac before they came to a full stop, lucky that no-one was behind them in that moment. "What the hell, Amanda!" she yelled, willing her heart to calm. "What do you think you're doing?"

Amanda suddenly burst into tears, not caring how much physical pain in caused her as the agonizing sobs passed through her throat and lips. "I... I don't want to die, Olivia. Please... please, don't let them hurt me anymore!"


	2. Chapter 2

Debt

Part 2 of 2

After Amanda's breakdown in the car, Olivia had somehow managed to calm the distraught blonde some by talking to her softly while she drove the last few blocks to her apartment building. With some strenuous efforts she had half carried and half dragged the woman into the elevator, into her apartment and onto the couch where she was now sitting, shivering from cold and pent up emotions.

The younger woman hadn't said a word, since she had literally begged Olivia to not let him hurt her anymore, and it worried her. She quickly glanced at the clock and silently groaned as it was just after two am. The apartment was quiet. Only the occasional sniffle and soft painful moans echoed from wall to wall, tearing at Olivia's heartstrings. By gently placing a blanket around the trembling frame, she hoped it would help Amanda to warm up quicker, and she began to rub her hands up and down the blonde's arms and back, willing warmth into the chilled and overly tired body.

"You're safe here, Amanda. I promise you that." she whispered as her hand continued with the comforting and soothing caresses, feeling the trembling ease slightly after a few minutes. She thought about what Amanda had said in the car before she broke down in hysterical sobs. 'Don't let them hurt me anymore.' What had she meant by 'anymore'? Had this happened before? If so, when and where?

"How many times has this happened, honey? How many times have they hurt you?"

There was a brief pause and silence in the air before Amanda finally looked up, locking her eyes with Liv's. "Twice before. It's... it's always two of them, Murphy and some other guy I don't know the name of. I... I think he's just the look out cause he's never laid a finger on me. I... I changed my number a couple of times, as you know, but that doesn't seem to stop him. He always finds me, calls me, texts me. I... I don't know what to do anymore." the tears welled up in her eyes once again, feeling her whole body drain from any energy she had left and slumped forward, soft sobs escaping her lips. "I don't want to die."

Olivia was quick ro catch her so she wouldn't fall down onto the floor and hurt herself even further. It caused a sharp pang in her chest, seeing her friend and colleague so upset, scared and defeated. "Hey, hush sweetheart. You're not going to die, I can promise you that." she gathered the crying woman fully into her arms and rocked them from side to side, Amanda whimpering intermittently as Liv did her best to sooth and comfort.

"Why don't I help you get in to bed, ugh? Come on, honey, you're sleeping in my bed, I'll take the couch." Amanda was already half asleep and Liv had to almost carry her into her bedroom, sat her down gently on the edge and kneeled before her, brushing blonde loose strands away from her blotchy face. "I'm just going to take your jeans off, okay. You'll be much more comfortable without them and I'll see if I can find you something to wear. Sit tight, sweetie."

Everything she owned would be too big for the blonde but it was better than nothing and she pulled out a pair of warm flannel pajama pants and a pair of thick bedsocks, to avoid her feet from getting too cold during the night. In silence she helped Amanda to change into her sleeping attire and finished it by gently sliding the socks on to chilled feet, rubbing them slightly between her hands before helping her under the covers.

As the blonde hair fanned out across the pillow, Liv couldn't resist but to reach her hand out and caress a soft cheek of the semi awake woman, smiling faintly at the smoothness of her skin. "Sleep now, honey." she whispered and watched Amanda's chest raise and fall in a steady rhythm, telling her that she was already asleep.

Olivia sat there, for several minutes just looking at the beautiful features of her subordinate and friend. In the dim lit bedroom the blonde looked younger than her actual age, almost childlike, and Olivia felt a strong wave of protective-ness and almost a motherly instinct to make sure no harm came to her ever again. She couldn't belive that Amanda had been through this twice before and nobody knew anything about it. Had she known what was going on she would've put a stop to it long ago and save Amanda the physical and emotional pain of it all by nailing this son of a bitch. He was done, so done, for what he had put her friend through and she would make sure he paid for it.

It was almost three in the morning when the brunette finally decided to ring Fin. She knew he wouldn't mind since Amanda was his partner and always looked out for her and having her best interest at heart. The African-American detective answered on the second ring, his voice slightly gravelly with sleep.

"Wassup, Lieu? Got a case?"

"Kind of. I know it's in the middle of the night but I need you to meet me at the precinct. I'll tell you what's going on when you get there." she explained quickly as she jotted down a note for Amanda in case she woke up when she was gone.

"Sure. Meet you there in twenty."

Liv placed the note on the nightstand just next to the bed so Amanda could easily spot it, looked through her friend's call list on her phone, spotted a number that frequently seemed to pop up, added it to her own contacts and quietly made her exit. Hopefully with his phone number she would be able to track him down.

She reached the precinct within fifteen minutes and saw that Fin was already there, leaning against the wall, waiting for her. "What's going on, Liv? Is everything okay?"

Sighing tiredly, Olivia ran a hand through her wavy locks, feeling the bitter wind catch it in it's grasps. "No, Fin. Everything is not okay. It's about Amanda."

She explained the whole situaton to her senior detective, watching his face turn gravely serious, his nostrils flared and his jaws clenched with simmering anger. The protective side of Fin was emerging. "Where's she now? She okay?"

"She's at my apartment, sleeping. He did a number on her, left her black and blue. She refused to stay at the hospital so they gave her a shot of morphine and strong painkillers to take home. I... I just want to nail this ass hole." she grumbled as they entered the precinct. There were a few people inside, working the ungodly hours of the night, but none of them raised an eyebrow at the duo. Seeing the Lieutenant and the Sergeant during the crazy hours of the night was not unusual.

Twenty minutes after arriving, they got a location on Murphy, at a casino in Midtown, and they both headed off, ready to pay him an unwelcoming visit. Fin knew what he looked like, since he did have a brief encounter with him not that long ago, and he quickly spotted the man by the poker table, downing a shot as he slapped a skimpy dressed waitress on the ass, asking her if they could go anywhere private. The young barista just giggled and strolled off, her hips swaying seductively to the beat of the music playing in the background.

"I know a private place." Fin stated, grabbed Murphy by his collar, flashed his badge, along with Olivia and dragged the drunken ass man into an empty nearby bathroom, shoving him up against the tiled wall. "You get a kick from beating up women? You not man enough to punch a dude in the face and crack his ribs?" his face was only an inch away from Murphy's sweaty and greasy features and he could smell the stale cigarette smoke of his breath as he heavily panted.

"Oh, blondie sent you to do her dirty work." he snarled, his yellow stained teeth appearing from between his lips as he snickered.

As Fin pressed his lower arm up against the man's throat, pushing him hard against the cold hard tiles, Olivia took a step closer. "I want you to listen and I want you to listen very carefully." she made sure she had his full attention before she continued. "You physically assaulted an NYPD detective which is considered a serious crime and a looooong time in prison."

"You got nothing on me, bitch!" he spat, struggling against Fin's firm hold but decided against it as he felt the detective's knee press against his groin area and he screamed out in pain. "Ahaaa!"

"Shut your mouth or I'll rip your dick off, shove it so far up your ass you'll never see it again." Fin calmly stated and nodded towards Olivia to carry on.

"The video surveillance at the gas station says different." she lied. "I'm willing to let this slide if I get something in return." her heart was pumping with adrenaline as she placed a firm hand on the tiles, just next to his head, leaning forward so she was now the one to smell his rotten breath of alcohol and smoke. "If you let this little debt between you and Amanda go away then so will our charges of assault on a police officer. It's up to you. If you decide not to, and get your ten grand back, you will end up in prison and the ten thousand will be worth absolutely nothing. I'm giving you a way out here, Murphy, you should take it before I change my mind."

The dunken man glared at her, gritting his teeth in anger and pain as Fin's hold kept getting firmer by the second. Eventually, he croaked out an answer that they both wanted to hear. "Fine."

Fin let go of his throat and took a step back, giving the man some room as he leaned heavily forward, gasping for air and swaying unsteadily on his feet. "I mean it, Murphy. If you so much as look at detective Rollins again, you will be arrested." she gave Fin a faint nod, indicating their exit and they left Murphy on his own, moaning and groaning as he struggled to regain his breathing and probably his pride.

"Give Amanda my best, will you?" Fin said as soon as they were back at the precinct, getting into two separate cars, ready to go home and get some more sleep.

"Of course, I will. Thank you for tonight. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Upon entering her apartment, she could instantly hear sobs coming from the bedroom, faint but still audible. "Amanda?" slowly she pushed the door open and saw the blonde's huddled form sitting up, knees drawn all the way up to her chest, head down and Olivia knew that she must be very uncomfortable in that position considering her broken ribs. "Hey, sweetie, what's wrong?"

She immediately sat down on the bed, only inches away from the younger woman as her hand came to rest upon her knees, squeezing gently. "What's the matter, honey?"

Amanda slowly lifted her head, her blue eyes full of tears, cheeks flushed and lips rosy red. "I... I thought that you... that you had left. I... I woke up and... and you were gone." she cried, trembling from the immense pain in her torso.

"Oh, sweetheart." the brunette scooted closer, carefully brought the small body into her arms, holding her close but aware of her injuries and let her fingers sooth the tense back and shoulders. "I left you a note on the bedside table. Didn't you see it?"

"Y... yeah, but I... I thought that... that you were sick of me and... and left. I'm sorry... I'm sorry." she wailed, crying even more as the pain came crashing over her like a giant wave on open sea.

Olivia immediately exited the room and came back a minute later with a glass of water and medication. "Here, honey. I think it's safe for you to take these now. You're hurting so much, sweetheart, and it worries me. Do I have to take you back to the hospital or do..."

"NO!" Amanda almost yelled, hissing at the excruciating pain, hoping that the meds would kick in sooner rather than later. "Please, no hospital, I... I don't want that, I don't need that. Please, Liv, please, don't send me back to the hospital, I don't..."

"Okay, okay, honey. I won't, I promise." gently she caressed Amanda's wet cheek with her knuckles, brushing at the tears as they slowly trickled down her face. "Why don't you lie back down, sweetie. Come on, I'll help you." by placing a hand at the back of Amanda's head, she lowered the distraught woman down onto the pillows and covered her with the duvet. She remained there, sitting by her side, gently stroking her face, murmuring words of comfort and reassurance as she watched the blue eyes turn hazy and full of sleep.

"Will you stay? Please, don't leave me." Amanda begged, whimpering against her will, embarrassed that she had asked for comfort and closeness, and from her boss nonetheless, but the need to be held and soothed weighed heavier than being alone.

Olivia changed into her pajamas, lifted the covers and gracefully slid in next to Amanda, feeling the younger woman immediately shifted closer so their bodies were touching and the brunette snaked an arm underneath a delicate neck, comforting her to the best of her ability. "I'm not going anywhere, sweet girl. I'll be right next to you the whole time, holding you, comforting you. You're safe now, Amanda, you're safe." without thinking anything of it she placed a tender kiss on a flushed forehead, their faces only inches apart and Liv could see the blonde's eyes beginning to flutter.

"Where did you go?" Amanda suddenly whispered, her voice low and soft, full of sleep and rawness from the almost hysterical crying earlier on.

"Shhh," Liv soothed and tucked a blonde lock behind an ear. "Don't worry about anything, my love. Fin and I took care of things. The deabt is no longer valid and you don't have to be scared that he will find you or hurt you ever again. It's over now."

Amanda frowned, confused as to what Olivia was saying, not understanding what she meant when she said that the debt is no longer valid and it's over. How could it be over? How could anything be alright ever again? Things would be considered over when the money she owed was paid back in full, even though she knew that Murphy himself had gotten the cash in a dirty, illegal and an unfair way in the first place.

Olivia saw the perplexed expression on the younger woman's face and placed a finger over her lips before she could say anything. "Do you trust me, Amanda?" the blonde frowned again while looking straight into Olivia's dark brown eyes, searching for something in them, something she could hold onto and something she could value and she did see loyalty and trust in those deep orbs, shining with concern and care only for her. She nodded and decided not to ask any questions about it.

"He will never bother you again, sweetie. He will never come near you, he will never hurt you and he will never harass you, ever again. You're safe and protected by people who care and love you so don't ever think you're alone, sweetheart. Ever."

It was as if her whole battered body became lighter. A calmness and a sense of peace swept over her like a warm blanket, tucking her in and lulling her to sleep as she laid there, cocooned in the safety of Olivia's arms. It felt good. So so good.

Carefully Amanda inched closer underneath the covers, brought her hand up and placed it flush against Olivia's cheek, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin, grounding her, calming her senses and troubles as the world carried on as usual outside the four walls they were currently in.

"Sleep now. I'll be here the whole time. I won't leave your side for a second." Liv promised, letting Amanda's hand rest upon her cheek, happy to do whatever the blonde needed to help her feel better, safe and that she mattered. Because she did. She did matter. To Olivia, she mattered.

The End.


End file.
